Mold/fungi in millipede tub

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
Agree with all of the above. If you consider where millipedes live in the wild (in rotting logs and rotting leaf litter), our relatively "sterile" enclosures are probably a step-down from what they encounter in the wild in terms of fungal and bacterial activity.

A note on the expanded wood pellets...I would recommend you let it ferment/rot outside of the enclosure for a few months if you can. I once put millipedes on a fresh straight flake soil (flake soil=expanded wood pellets) substrate, and once it started rotting the heat generated by it ended up cooking some of my specimens. That is an extreme example, so if you are only using fresh flake soil as part of your substrate, it should be fine (you might even be able to switch the heat pad off for a while, ha ha), but just something to consider for the future.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

Jack Blachura

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 29, 2017
Messages
24
Thank you, I will definitely get that in a rotting tub tomorrow morning. So is the final verdict to put the larger wood chunks in and let them be moldy all they want then? :lol: Or better to break it up and mix it in, dont think it would mold as much that way maybe.
 

MontePython

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Messages
96
Hi, hate to jump in but I remembered this discussion when I noticed some similar stuff on a piece of wood in my tank that I've never had anything grow on before (it's from the woods, but was baked back in February - I just did some rearranging and stuff, but I assume it's due to the temperature staying more reliably warm), and just wanted to double check that it's probably the same kinda stuff, though it doesn't have the fuzzy look to it that some of @DaganH 's pieces had?
 

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The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
11,044
and once it started rotting the heat generated by it ended up cooking some of my specimens
I believe @NopusNatus has recorded temperatures in excess of 115F in his fermenting bins.
At a worm castings farm / factory one chilly frosty morning. We had spent about a week bringing in materials to 'cook down' for future use in the worm raceways-raised beds. Truckloads of everything from wood chips to lawn clippings to cleared detritus a tractor had dragged over from a land clearing next door to fish offal from the processing plant down at the harbor. Looking out through the ground fog the place looked like a demented religious experience. Huge clouds of 'steam' billowing up from the piles, in places shooting about 100 feet in the air. Sticking my hand in one pile it was beyond comfortably warm, couldn't keep my hand in more than a second or two.
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
Hi, hate to jump in but I remembered this discussion when I noticed some similar stuff on a piece of wood in my tank that I've never had anything grow on before (it's from the woods, but was baked back in February - I just did some rearranging and stuff, but I assume it's due to the temperature staying more reliably warm), and just wanted to double check that it's probably the same kinda stuff, though it doesn't have the fuzzy look to it that some of @DaganH 's pieces had?
Looks fine to me. If you are concerned however you can let some springtails work on it for a bit or wash it off, but you are going to have mold growing on the wood and leaves at some point in time no matter what you do.

At a worm castings farm / factory one chilly frosty morning. We had spent about a week bringing in materials to 'cook down' for future use in the worm raceways-raised beds. Truckloads of everything from wood chips to lawn clippings to cleared detritus a tractor had dragged over from a land clearing next door to fish offal from the processing plant down at the harbor. Looking out through the ground fog the place looked like a demented religious experience. Huge clouds of 'steam' billowing up from the piles, in places shooting about 100 feet in the air. Sticking my hand in one pile it was beyond comfortably warm, couldn't keep my hand in more than a second or two.
That is crazy amazing! Must have been a sight to see...

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

MontePython

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Messages
96
Looks fine to me. If you are concerned however you can let some springtails work on it for a bit or wash it off, but you are going to have mold growing on the wood and leaves at some point in time no matter what you do.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
Okay yeah that's kind of what I figured to be honest - I've seen some of the springtails pause up there at times, so I figure they're doing some stuff, but as long as it's not harmful, I'm fine with it really. Thanks for the second opinion!
 

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
2,462
Okay yeah that's kind of what I figured to be honest - I've seen some of the springtails pause up there at times, so I figure they're doing some stuff, but as long as it's not harmful, I'm fine with it really. Thanks for the second opinion!
No problem. @BepopCola knows pretty much all that I do, and probably more, so you won't go wrong with what she tells you :).

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 
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